GEORGE “MONK” FOREMAN III RECORDS EIGHTH-STRAIGHT KNOCKOUT IN FRONT OF HOME CROWD

MARSHALL, TEXAS (June 17, 2010) Four days following another successful installment of the “Rumble in Humble” Pro-Am Boxing Extravaganza, Joe Dumas Productions & Associates (Foreman Group) took its show on the road for the start of the George Foreman Heavyweight Title Series in Foreman’s hometown of Marshall, Texas this past Tuesday.

The headliner in Tuesday’s event at the Marshall Convention Center featured Foreman’s son, George “Monk” Foreman III, making his state of Texas debut as a professional along with nine other pro fighters from the states of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Virginia. Foreman III (8-0, 8 KO), a 6-5, 238-pound heavyweight who hails from Humble, Texas, took on Texarkana, Texas native Bobby Pickett (0-3) in his eighth professional fight.

With his dad, former heavyweight champion George Foreman looking on along with a sizable contingent of family members, “Monk” took care of business from the opening bell and used his visible size advantage to frustrate Pickett with two knockdowns towards the latter end of the first round. Pickett managed to make it to the final bell but failed to begin round two as the fight was stopped at the 10-second mark.

As a result, Foreman’s undefeated record remained intact in addition to posting his eighth consecutive knockout.

“My plan for this fight was to go out and work on what we’ve been working on in the gym which is perfecting my jab and protecting my body by not letting him hit me.”
With the task of carrying and upholding the family name, Foreman III admitted there was some pressure to perform well before the fight began but put it aside once the opening bell rang.

“When you fight in front of your home crowd, you get a lot of butterflies in your stomach but I followed my dad’s advice and I ate them,” Foreman III said. “But as long as I can remember, we’ve always had a home in Marshall and this is where I train so I knew whatever happened tonight I would have to live with it.”

A Culver (Ind.) Military Academy graduate who attended Pepperdine University before transferring and earning a business and sports management degree from Rice University in Houston, Foreman III wants to continue honing his skills and become a household name in the region.

“I’m going to keep working on perfecting my jab, developing my fighting style and fighting in the region of Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana,” he said.

With the support and familiarity of the city of Marshall leading up to the fight, Monk’s manager and father, former two-time heavyweight champion George Foreman, said the city will play a big part in his son’s future plans.

“I was born in Marshall, grew up in Houston but as soon as I could, I bought a place in Marshall,” he said. “It’s important for Monk to have a home base and find a place he’s comfortable with and I think it may be Marshall. We’ll continue to bring in better opponents to push him and wouldn’t it be nice if he’s a No. 1 contender and ABC’s Wide World of Sports or HBO can come on down to Marshall to feature him.”